Shamrocks and Ice Crystals
by blizzard5441
Summary: When James Potter pulls a St. Patrick's Day prank on Lily Evans, he'll find that Lily's got a few tricks of her own.
**A/N: So, in honor of the approaching St. Patrick's Day, I got the idea for this lovely story here. It came all at once, so please excuse the rough edges. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I made up some spells, but none of the characters. The plot, however, is all my own.**

The clanging bell announced the end of Transfiguration. Lily Evans immediately swept all her books into her bag and took off for dinner, fuming. She couldn't remember a time when she'd been madder than she was now, and that was saying something, because Lily had a quick temper.

She couldn't believe the nerve of that arrogant James Potter and his friends! Their third year at Hogwarts had been just as bad as the first two – at least, where James Potter was concerned. And this time, Lily knew he had gone too far.

That jerk and his tag-along friends Sirius, Peter, and Remus had pranked Lily and her best friend, Marlene, earlier in the day, which happened to be St. Patrick's Day. Lily was still furious at the memory.

" _Do you think Adam likes me?" asked Marlene. They were headed for Charms. Lily grinned at her friend. Marlene had had a crush on Adam for ages, and even Lily had to admit that he was really nice._

" _I have no idea," Lily responded. "There's only one way for you to find out – oh, what now?"_

 _They turned around at the sound of shouts. James Potter had dropped his bag, and something had shattered. Marlene glanced at Lily, then back over at Potter._

" _Do you want help?" she called up the corridor. James looked up._

" _That would be great!"_

 _Lily and Marlene hastened over to help. They began to gather books, quills, parchment, and a stray smashed bottle of ink. James, meanwhile, continued to sweep up the broken glass fragments still littering the floor._

" _What was that thing, anyways?" Marlene asked._

" _N-nothing," James said, a bit too quickly. He looked guiltily at the floor._

" _Aw, come on, James, we won't tell!" Marlene pleaded._

" _You really want to see?" James asked. Lily stiffened. His tone had changed, and Lily knew that something bad was on the way._

 _But Marlene didn't._

" _Sure, go on."_

" _Marlene -!"_

 _James pointed his wand at Lily. "_ Terraria Trifolia _!"_

 _Lily began to feel tiny pokes all over her head. She put a hand up to her hair, but was stopped short by Marlene's scream._

" _Marlene, what happened?" Lily could feel the pokes eve more now. Her whole head felt like it was being stabbed by needles._

 _Marlene simply whimpered._

 _Lily, growing ever more fearful of what James had done, yanked a mirror out of her bag. She held it up to her face, then dropped it in surprise._

 _James's curse had turned her hair into shamrocks._

 _It was still the same length, but now, every strand had been replaced by tiny shamrocks held together by a vine. Lily raised a shaking hand to her hair and ran her fingers through it. It sounded as though wind was blowing through the trees._

 _James grinned a mile wide. "Happy Saint Patrick's Day, Evans." Then he took off._

 _The bell rang, and most students hurried into their classes. Some muttered a hurried "Sorry" to Lily, or other sympathetic remark. Marlene didn't move anywhere. She sat down beside Lily, who had sank to the floor and was hugging her knees._

" _Come on, I'll walk you to the hospital wing," said Marlene._

 _Lily shook her head. She could feel the anger seeping up inside her, and she was ready to show James Potter once and for all that he could not mess with Lily Evans._

" _You – you don't want the hospital wing?" Marlene asked. "You do realize your hair is made of shamrocks and that it's James Potter's fault? Whom you bloody hate?"_

" _I realize that, Marlene," said Lily dryly._

" _Then why no hospital wing?"_

" _Oh, we will go to the hospital wing," said Lily. "But after that, I'm going to get that arrogant, stuck-up jerk back. Just you wait."_

* * *

"Lily, are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely, now shut up."

Marlene was quiet. Lily tried to calm the fluttering feeling in her stomach. She watched as James Potter strode down the hall to Quidditch practice. Self-centered. Unawares. And completely alone.

Lily had enlisted Marlene and Kingsley Shacklebolt, a fellow third year who was in Ravenclaw, for help with this prank. Kingsley, because he was brilliant and had constructed a plan that wouldn't get them caught. Marlene, because she never did anything without Marlene.

It didn't hurt that neither of them would be upset to see James Potter humiliated, either.

She had also asked for the help of Amelia Bones, Ian Finnigan, and Alex McMillan. They were the cover story. Lily had explained the plan to the, and they had promised to be her alibi. If anyone asked, Marlene, Lily, and Kingsley had been in the library with the three of them all along.

Now the three of them were hidden behind a tapestry, waiting for James to be in range. Three steps… two steps… She could hit him now.

This was it, Lily knew. She held her hand out to Kingsley, who placed his old wand in her hand. She held it for a second, getting a feel for it. Then, she took careful aim through the tiny hole in the tapestry and whispered, " _Frigida pela_."

James started, and looked around. He glanced at the tapestry, and Lily and her little group pulled aside into an alcove in the secret passageway. Kingsley had carved it out just minutes before. Even if James looked behind the tapestry, he shouldn't see them.

He didn't come near the tapestry. Lily was able to see as he held a hand up to his head, and felt the ice crystals that had replaced his hair. By the way his face darkened, she knew that he knew who was responsible.

"Time to clear out," Marlene whispered.

The little group raced down the passageway the opposite direction from the livid James. The burst into the library, where Alex, Ian, and Amelia were sitting at a table in the corner. Lily, Kingsley and Marlene raced over to them and sat down, trying to breathe normally.

"We were always here," Marlene said conspiratorially to Alex.

"Where else would you have been?" Alex replied.

Lily grinned.

* * *

"I know it was you, Evans."

It was the day after the icy hair prank. Lily and the rest of the Gryffindor third years were in Charms. She looked up at James, who was glaring at her, hair returned to normal.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"You know perfectly well. Don't think you'll get away with this. I'll get you someday when -"

But when James would "get" her was never to be revealed. Professor Flitwick had spotted James out of his seat and across the room, talking to Lily.

"Mr. Potter, if you would sit back down and continue trying to freeze you water, please!

James nodded to Flitwick, glared at Lily once more, and sat back down.

"Lily, I will never doubt your prowess again," Marlene said as Lily successfully froze her dish of water.

"Thanks, Marlene," said Lily. "I don't think Potter will either." She smirked, still exhilarated at the memory of her success.

"No, I don't think he will either," said Marlene seriously. "You just have a talent for chilliness, don't you?"

Both girls started to laugh. The bell rang, and they sprinted to dinner. Lily couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed this hard. She loved it.

 **A/N: In the spirit of Looney Tunes, "That's All Folks!" I know y'all are tired of hearing it, but if you could take thirty seconds and post a review, it would be ever so helpful!**


End file.
